JNelson6563
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Sat Jan-21-06 07:16 PM
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Puzzle for you DUers:
A not-so-hypothetical case:
Suppose a certain non-profit foundation granted $200,000 to a certain public relations firm to develop a public education program which was really an industry marketing scheme in disguise. Suppose this non-profit organization's tax return showed that it received $400,000 in donations from unnamed sources. How would you find out who (most likely tied to a certain industry) funneled the money through the non-profit foundation?
The same not-so-hypothetical puzzle, approached from a different angle:
Suppose a certain large company donated a total of $200,000 to a certain non-profit foundation which then gave $200,000 to a public relations firm to promote an industry marketing scheme disguised as a public education program. How would you determine the identity of the company who funneled the money through the non-profit foundation?
I got this challenge via e-mail and wondered what you all might think.
Julie
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HysteryDiagnosis
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Sat Jan-21-06 07:17 PM
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1. Radio Shack.... but for this, I doubt it. nt. |
GrpCaptMandrake
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Sat Jan-21-06 07:26 PM
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2. Sue 'em all and engage in discovery |
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Use the IRS records to establish parties and witnesses. Then follow the money.
Next question?
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Orangepeel
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Sat Jan-21-06 07:34 PM
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tax records for both the non-profit and the large company (assuming it is public) ought to be available, right?
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sandnsea
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Sat Jan-21-06 07:44 PM
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The corporation is going to have the $200,000 donation listed somewhere in its taxes. The PR firm would probably have press releases or client list for the non-profit work. So you'd have to connect between the two that way. And then somehow make the case that the education program is actually propaganda for the PR firm. Is that kind of what you mean? To start anyway.
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phoebe
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Sat Jan-21-06 07:54 PM
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5. are you talking about No Child Left Behind? |
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if so, look to the Bush brothers..
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OneBlueSky
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Sun Jan-22-06 12:51 AM
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which every non-profit is required to file annually . . . How to Read the IRS Form 990 & Find Out What it Meanshttp://www.npccny.org/Form_990/990.htm
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BeHereNow
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Sun Jan-22-06 01:13 AM
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7. Oh THANK YOU OBS for that link! |
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Edited on Sun Jan-22-06 01:14 AM by BeHereNow
What a fabulous link!!! Point of reference for my glee: My child attended a public school with an afternoon arts program that was partially "funded" by a private foundation which continually petitioned parents for donations because the supposedly, the school was always on the verge of going under. I began to look into the situation further- The parents could never see the financial reports for the foundation and school board members had family members on the foundation board. What's wrong with that picture??? Long story short- I eventually found tax returns online for the mysterious foundation. In a fiscal year, they took in $1.4 million dollars- the "support" for the arts programs as recorded in the public school budget from that money? Approximately $280, 000.00. Have not yet found out what happened to the rest of the money. Interestingly enough, when we, the parents, confronted the foundation about it- they stopped publishing their returns on the non-profit guide web site I found them at.
BHN
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JNelson6563
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Sun Jan-22-06 10:16 AM
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8. Many thanks to those who replied |
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I do not know the answer or even what the questioner is referring to in particular. That's why I brought it here.
:toast:
Any other thoughts are also much appreciated.
Julie
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JNelson6563
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Sun Jan-22-06 04:13 PM
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Ok, I passed on the advice given here and here is the reply I got. Any suggestions?
Yes, I've seen a copy of this Non-profit Foundation's IRS Form 990. Page 1, line 1 shows $400,000 in gifts/contributions received from unnamed sources. Page 2, line 44 (under Expenses) shows $800,000 in program service allocations/grants, and an attached schedule shows the identity of the recipents who received the Foundation's grants that year. I know $200,000 was given by the Foundation to a bogus public education program that's really an industry marketing scheme, but I DON'T know the identity of the source whose money is included in "gifts received" on line 1. How can I find out the identiy of the unnamed source? What if I suspect a certain very big, very bad company, is there anyway I can prove it? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
Sounds like this guy might be onto something. Any assistance you all could give would be appreciated.
Julie
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JNelson6563
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Sun Jan-22-06 06:17 PM
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10. kicking this in hopes of getting help |
Straight Shooter
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Sun Jan-22-06 08:36 PM
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12. You need to contact ProfessorGAC and ask him. |
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He is quite astute about financial matters. As to income tax records, I don't know the level of his expertise, but I bet he can point you (and the sender of the inquiry) in the right direction.
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BeHereNow
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Sun Jan-22-06 07:57 PM
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11. Hey Julie- I wish your friend all the luck in the world. |
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Edited on Sun Jan-22-06 08:02 PM by BeHereNow
If you read my post to OBS above, thanking him for the link, you will see that I have had my own dealings with a shady non-profit. I found that all roads of inquiry kept leading me back to the same brick wall. I heard a report on NPR some months ago about non-profits being investigated as possibly the largest laundering, embezzling scams going today. I have no doubts about that being true in regards to the one I was investigating. I had documents, both public and private, that I tried to get the local media to simply LOOK at. All to no avail. When I told a lawyer friend about it all he laughed at me and said, "What do you expect? They are all in on it and the media is owned by the very people you are trying to expose." Great, huh? Business as usual. BHN
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Steve A Play
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Sun Jan-22-06 08:50 PM
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13. Sounds like the Election Center to me |
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